SPANISH HARLEM – The New York Knicks won their third game of the young season last night, but I won’t be discussing the game much. While we’re only 4 games into the NBA campaign, I’ll cite things that I like from this team. Don’t worry, we won’t get too crazy with it as things can change in a jump-shot but I am hopeful.
Point Guard Jalen Brunson
If your like me, you have seen the Knicks start some weird names throughout the last the 15 years. It’s an ugly list if you Google it but it’s the reason I have so much appreciation for Jalen Brunson. They finally have a true point guard and that has me excited. I know we haven’t seen much but what I have seen, has me a believer that he can be a true different maker. Last night Brunson scored six of the Knicks’ 10 points in overtime vs the Hornets, leading them to a gritty 134-131 win. He makes smart decisions and can get to the rim at will. Sure, he is smaller in stature than most on the court but he is probably the best of Knickerbocker finishers at the rim. I can’t tell you how happy I am knowing that we are in good hands – literally & figuratively.
Ball Movement
Every guy reading this knows the importance of ball movement, and so does Tom Thibodeau. Thibs preached it all preseason, which is important when you consider how much one-on-one basketball they played last year. Brunson definitely helps in that regard, but it takes all 12 men to buy in. So far, it looks like every player is taking it to heart. The assists are piling up – and that’s good. It’s a better offense to play in because it allows every player to touch the ball and keeps the defense on their toes. It’s important to continue to play like this because it’s a deep team that can score even with the bench unit on the floor.
Mitchell Robinson
I won’t lie to you [much], I wasn’t a be fan of bringing back Mitchell Robinson – especially on that 4-year contract. It was a tad high for a center that really has no offensive moves and doesn’t shoot well beyond the rim. What he does well is rebound and play defense, which has the Knicks playing well defensively (not so much last night). We will see if that remains when they play the better teams but if Robinson continues to play this well and this hard, they will be a difficult game against any team.
That’s it for now, come back tomorrow for Cam James.
